Disposal unit for cloth articles and the like



5612i 1957 G. MUsAccl-nA 2,805,425

DISPOSAL UNIT iFOR CLOTH ARTICLES AND THE LIKE ATTORNE YJ G. MUSACCHIA Sept l0, 95? 2,805,425 DISPOSAL UNIT FOR CLOTH ARTICLES AND THE LIKE n Filed June 28, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 V w- ,we 55 w M2M# ,nm W M n Mmmz u M@ @Jef y, W.

DISPOSAL UNlT FOR CLOTH ARTICLES AND THE LH@ George Musacchia, Houston, "Een,

Application June 2S, 1954, Serial No. 439,575

3 Claims. (Cl. 4 1@ This invention relates to new and useful improvements in disposal units for cloth articles and the like.V

An object of this invention is to provide a new and improved disposal unit for the destruction of cloth articles, paper articles, and the like.

An important object of this invention is to provide a new and improved disposal unit for cloth larticles and the like, wherein the articles are adapted to be burned in the unit and then the remains washed into the usual sewer line.

Another object of this invention is `to provide a new and improved disposal unit for cloth articles and the like which is adapted to be used in combination with the conventional home commodes or which can be used as a separate wall unit.

The construction designed to carry out the invention will be hereinafter described together with other features thereof.

The invention will be more readily understood from the reading of the following, specification and by reference to the accompanying drawings forming apart thereof,

wherein an example of the invention is shown and Y wherein:

Figure l is a view, partly in elevation and partly in section, illustrating one embodiment of this invention.

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken -on line 2-2 of Figure l.

Figure 3 is a sectional View taken on line 3-3 of Figure l.

Figure 4 is a view, partly in elevation and partly in section, illustrating another modification vof the disposal unit of this invention.

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional View taken on line 5-5 of Figure 4.

In the drawings, the letter A designates generally the preferred disposal unit of this invention in combination with the usual lined home commode C (Figures l-3). The usual home commode C has, of course, a toilet bowl 1t) mounted on a base 11 which is supported on the door Vin the usual manner and a discharge opening l2 is formed in the base Ell for Vdischarge of the water and waste from Vthe toilet bowl to the drain or sewer line (not shown).

Behind the conventional toilet seat 14, the flushing water tank l5 is provided in the usual manner for discharging flushing water ltherefrom through a flushing passage le to the toilet bowl it). Such flushing is eiected upon the raising of the conventional valve i7 within the flushing water compartrnent i5 andV such opening or raising of the valve i7 is eiiected by the usual toilet handle (not shown) on the outside of the tank The tank 15 has four sides which include the front side Sa and the rear side 15b which support a removable cover 2S.

The rear wall-15b forms the forward wall of the disposal unit tank 25 which is positioned behind the flushing water tank 15 and is of substantially the same size. The wall 15b and the other walls 25a, 25h and 25e form the f complete sides of the disposal unit tank 25. The top ot the tank 25 is covered by a cover plate 26 which is Patented Sept. 10, 1957 hinged at 27 by any suitable hinge means, so that by lifting up on the knob or handle 28, the cover 26 is pivoted upwardly and rearwardly to expose the upper end of the tank 25. In some instances, the hinge 27 may include a spring (not shown) which serves to urge-the cover 26 upwardly and rearwardly and in such case a latch (not shown) would be provided to prevent the upward swinging of the cover 26 until such time as it is desired to open such cover 26.

Within the tank 25, there are disposed support members 30 which extend longitudinally of the tank 25 and which are spaced from each other to provide a longitudinal opening 31 therebetween which extends the complete distance between the ends 25b and 25o of the tank 25 (Figure 2). Gas burners 32 are positioned `above the support members or plates 30 and are preferably positioned thereon so that such burners 32 are supported within the tank 25. Each of the burners 32 is essentially a hollow gas chamber having small openings 32a along the surfaces cf the burners 32 which face each other so that the gas liarne from the burners is directed into the space between the two burners 32. The connection ofthe gas burners 32 can be made in many ways, but, as shown in the drawings, the burners 32 are connected by a common manifold 33 which is fed gas from an inlet pipe 34 having -a control valve 35 thereon. Such control valve 35 is positioned outside of the tank 25 so that it may be operated for controlling the liow of gas -to the burners 32 conveniently.l A pilot line 36 is connected to the gas lines 34, and such pilot line 36 extends beneath the rear burner 32 and a darne is constantly burning there so that whenl the valve 35 is open the burners 32 are automatically ignited to create an area of ame between the burners 3". Air holes 38 are provided in the walls 25a, 25b and 2SC of the ytank 25 to supply the necessary air for the burning of the gas from the burners 32.

A wire basket 4l) is positioned between the burners 32 and is removably positioned on the support plates 31 at their inner edges so that substantially the entire lower portion or bottom of the wire basket 40 is completely free of any support and is open lso that any particles which are small enough to pass through the `openings in the wire mesh of the basket 443 drop through the space 31 between the support members 30. The wireY basket 40 preferably has heat-insulated handles 41 at each end for the removal of the basket from the tank 25. It will be appreciated, of course, that the material of the basket 4t) much be tire-resistant and preferably is of a metal such as stainless steel.

The area around the burners 32 is insulated against heat by layers of heat insulation 43a, 43b, 43e and 43d which may be glass liber, asbestos and the like. A removable top member 44 is provided with a layer of heat insulation 45 attached thereto so that, after the cover 26 has been pivoted to an open position, such member 44 is removable, and thereafter the wire basket 4G is also readily removable from its position between the burners 32. It will be appreciated, of course, that, since the layer of insulation 45 is secured to the top member 44, both `are removable together. The heat fumes, smoke and other gaseous matter are exhausted through a vent pipe 50 which entends from the upper portion of the tank 25 below the top section 44 and, preferably, such vent pipe S extends upwardly above the roof of the building or house in which the unit A is located, so as to Vent the gaseous matter to the atmosphere. In some cases it may be'desirable to provide a conventional exhaust fan (not shown) in conjunction with the vent 50 to facilitate the exhaust of smoke and other gases from the tank 25.

Below the tank 25 a waste receiving chamber 52 is formed which is adapted to receive the burned or waste matter which falls from the wire basket 40. The waste receiving chamber 52 is in fluid communication with the discharge Vline 12 from the toilet bowl 10 bymeans ofa liquid odor trap 53 which extends-from the lower end of the chamber 52 tothe pipe 12. The tlushing line 16 has an auxiliary flushing line 55 formed therewithrwhich connects with an annular uid distribution chamberY 56 having ports 57 which discharge the ushing fluid into the waste receiving chamber 52. Thus, each time that the commode C is flushed with the flushing water in the ushing water tank 15, the waste receiving chamber 52 of the disposal unit A is also ilushed, and the contents thereof are washed into the discharge line 1.2 to the drain or Sewer line. The normal water level Yin the chamber 52 is the same as inthe commode C and is indicated in the drawings'by the dotted line 52a. However, should assembly 132, which is of substantially U-shape, is supthe water level rise due to defective draining or flow into the sewer line, an overilow pipey 58 is provided in the tank so that the water will not pass upwardly into the burners section Vof the disposal unit. It will be noted that the air holes 3S are above the overtlow pipe 58 so that overflowing water will not flow into the room, but, of course, the location of the air holes 38 may be varied .for dil'erentburner conditions. Y

In the use or operation of theV disposal unit described v above and illustrated in Figures 1-3, the gas valve 35 is normally turned oil so that the burners 32 are not operating, but the pilot burner line 36 is always burning so that the burners 32 can be automatically ignited by the turning on of the valve 375. In some instances, where the runit is in constant use, the valve can be left open continuously and the burners 32 are therefore continuously burning. Whether the `burners are operating or not, the

Vcover 26 is opened by lifting upwardly on the knob 28,

or by releasing the latch. if a spring is providedat the hinge 27, and then the top member 44 is removed from the tank 25. The wire basket 40 is then exposed and the cloth articles Vto be disposed of, sucheas cloth bandages, sanitary napkins and other items of cloth or asimilar material such as Vpaperare then dropped into the wire basket 40. The top member 44 is then placed back in position, and the cover 26 is closed so that during-the burning of the cloth articles, the smoke and other disagreeable odors which might occur becauseof the organic material present on the clothl articles are prevented from escaping into the room and are Vdirected upwardly through Y the vent pipe 5t). The ashes from the burned material fall through the openings or spaces between Vthe Wires making up the wire basket 40 and therefore drop through the` space 31 and then downwardly into the waste receiving chamber 52. The. heat developed by the burners 32 is so intense and so concentrated with respect toV the articles being burnedtthat it takes only a very short time to comi plete'ly dispose of such articles.V When thecloth'articles (have been completely burned and` the waste such as ashes has dropped into the chamber 52, the Vflushing water tank 15 is'oper'ated to open the valve 17 to direct flushing water from the tank 15 through the passage 55 to thereby ush the waste material from the chamberV 52 through the odor trapV 53 and into the discharge line 12. Such ilushing of the chamber 52 can be coincident with the ushing of the commode C, if desired.

In Figures 4 and 5, a modification of the disposal Yunit illustrated in Figures l1.-,3 AisV shown, and such modified unit is designated generally bythe letter A. The modified disposal unit A has a tank'125 which isrformedfby four sides or plates, 125:1, 12527, 1,25c.and 1,25d, with thefront plate 125e being flush/with the'wall lof 'a house or other building, whereby the Yentire unit is substantially enclosed within the wall of thebuilding` .The front plate 125C, or a portion thereof, is removable and bolts are employed to' retain the front plate 125C in its normal position (Figure Gf course, other securing means c ,ould be used lower portion of the basket 140 is disposed over the longitudinal space 131 so that ashes and other material of suiciently small size may fall through the bottom openings in the basket 140. Handles 141 of insulated material are positioned at the top of the basket 140 for removing the basket from its support on the support members 130, which can be eiected after the front plate e Y is removed from its normal bolted position (Figure 5).

O The gas is fed to the burners 132 from the gas line 134,

which has a valve 135 therewith to control 'the gas flow. A pilot line 136 is provided so that the pilot gas line can be constantly burning, and, therefore, the burners 132 can be automatically ignited when it is desired to do o so by simply opening the valve 135. Air holes 138 are provided for'the admission of air into the unit 'for the burning of the gas from the burners 132. The area around the burners 132 is insulated with any desired type of heat insulating layers 143:1, 143b, 143C and 143d formed of glass fiber, asbestos and the like. The insulating layers 143 are, of course, removable with the removable front plate 125e. Y

At the upper end of the disposal unit A', a door 66 is mounted by hinges 67 to the front plate 125C. The door 66 preferably has a handle or knob'66a thereon whereby the door 66 may be pulled outwardly and thus swung downwardly about its hinges 67 to provide an opening into the inside of the unit A. Such opening communicates with a downwardly extending chute 68 which has a ared open lower end 68a disposed directly above the basket 140. Thus, the cloth `articles which are to be disposed of in the unit A are dropped into `the basket by opening the door 66 and dropping such articles intoV the chute 68. A vent 150 for the heat fumesysmoke and other gaseous matter isrprovided at the top or rear of the unit A; such vent ordinarily extends upwardly through the roof of a house or other building.

At the lower end of the unit A', a waste receiving cham- O ber 152 is provided into which fall the ashes and other nected to the odor trap 153. By opening the valve 70 on a water inlet line 71, water or other flushing iluid is directed toV an annular uid distribution chamber 156 for 'discharge therefrom through ports or openings 157 into the waste chamber 152, wherebythe chamber 152 is thoroughly ushed and the waste is discharged through the odor trap 153 into the drain or sewer line. It will be Vnoted that the lower ends of the walls of the unit A' are actually supported on the door F, but the odor trap 153 is positioned below the door for connection with the usual sewer line in a house or building.

In the operation or use of the modified disposalY unit Y A which is particularly suited for positioning in a Wall of a building, the pilot Ylight 136 is constantly burning and the articles of cloth or any similar material are dropped into the chute 68 when the door 66 is opened. The article or articles are guided by the chute 68 into the wire Vbasket and then the gas is turned on by opening the valve 135 so that the ame is automatically ignited by reason of the pilot 1367to etect a rapid burning of the cloth articles and the like. As theV articles burn, Ythe Vfumes, smoke, and other Vgaseous matter .pass upwardly through the vent pipe 150. The ashes and other waste material from the burning of the articles and other material in the basket 140, fall into the waste receiving chamber 152 and are flushed from same by opening the valve 70, whereby the water is sprayed from the ports or openings 157 into the chamber 152. The washing or ushing action of the water from the spray ports 157 washes the waste and the ushing water through the odor trap 153 into the sewer line or drain (not shown). After the burning of the particular material has been elected, the valves 135 and 70 can be then turned 0, although it will be evident that in instances where such a unit is in constant use, the valves 135 and 70 may remain on at all times.

When it is desired to remove the basket 140 for any reason, the front wall 125e, or a portion thereof, is removed by releasing or removing the bolts 65 so that the basket 140 can then be pulled outwardly from the burners 132.

lt is believed evident from the foregoing that a new and improved disposal unit for cloth articles and the like has been provided which is adapted to be used in combination with the usual home commode (Figures l-3) or as a separate wall unit (Figures 4 and 5) Wherein the cloth articles and the like which are destroyed are also removed by a uid action to a drain or a sewer line, Although the invention has been illustrated with a gas burner, it will be evident that other types of burners or destroying devices could be utilized instead. It is also believed apparent that although the baskets 40 and 140 have been described as being formed of wire, they could be formed of sheet material having openings or perforations, so long as the name or other destruction medium can contact the articles to be destroyed and the ashes or other waste can drop therefrom after the destruction.

The foregoing ldisclosure and discussion of the invention is illustrative and explanatory thereof and various changes in the size, shape and materials, as Well as in details of the illustrated construction may be made, within the scope of the appended claims, Without departing from the spirit of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a commode having a toilet bowl, a flushing liquid tank for supplying flushing liquid to said bowl, and a discharge line from said toilet bowl, a disposal unit including a destruction chamber disposed adjacent to the ilushing liquid tank, a holder means for retaining cloth articles and the like in said chamber, destruction means in said chamber comprising a gas burner adapted to burn said cloth articles within said holder means, a waste receiving chamber below said holder means for receiving from said holder means the remains of said cloth articles after destruction, means connecting said waste receiving chamber to said discharge line, and means connecting said waste receiving chamber and said flushing liquid tank for directing a ushing lluid into the waste receiving chamber to wash the waste from said waste receiving chamber into said discharge line.

2. The structure set forth in claim 1, wherein said destruction means include a pair of burners disposed substantially parallel to each other, and wherein said holder means is a basket having an open top and disposed between said pair of parallel burners, said burners extending for substantially the full height of said basket whereby the gas llame from said burners is directed into said basket from both sides thereof to rapidly burn the cloth articles in the basket.

3. The structure set forth in claim 1, including a screen in said waste receiving chamber for receiving all of the waste falling from the destruction chamber, and an annular spray means in said waste receiving chamber disposed above said screen and connected with said liushing liquid tank for washing all of the waste on the screen into said discharge line.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,155,492 Krenz Oct. 5, 1915 1,337,668 Roberts Apr. 20, 1920 2,101,523 Willis Dec. 7, 1937 2,194,490 Zimmerman Mar. 26, 1940 2,228,914 Pierce Jan. 14, 1941 2,498,502 OBrien Feb. 21, 1950 

